Close your eyes and listen to "Till I Hurt You." You might think you're hearing Amy Winehouse or even an old Jackie DeShannon. You'd be wrong, however. It’s Grace Weber, the Wauwatosa-raised singer who's returning to her hometown for a gig Saturday at Skylight’s beautiful Cabot Theatre.
Her return is the direct result of her dad, Milwaukee attorney Ralph Weber, putting his Skylight Theatre attendance together with a daughter who can write and sing the eyes out of a song.
"Grace comes back to Milwaukee to play once or twice a year," Weber said. "I’ve been to the Skylight a number of times, and I’m always on the lookout for places for her to play.
"The Cabot is such a wonderful space, so I sent them an email last April asking if they ever rent out the theater when there’s nothing in there. They said yes, and we put it together from there."
Grace will perform Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are available here.
If you are a football fan, you may have seen her sing the national anthem on last Sunday night's football game between the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers. Her dad assures that the song will not be on the set list Saturday night.
Renting out the Cabot may seem like an over-the-top way to get your daughter to visit her family, but Weber chuckles that it’s not just about that.
"We are very proud of her, of all our kids," he said. "It’s going to be great having her here, sharing her music."
Weber starting singing with a gospel choir in Milwaukee as a teenager and that sound infuses her work, both as a songwriter and a singer. There is something about the way she can get directly to the heart of a song, as well as gospel-like sense of song construction, that makes her a very appealing performer.
"Till I Hurt You" is a song that is full of emotion, but also has an intellectual pull. It would be easy to see other artists from a lot of different genres covering this song. You could see Kacey Musgraves giving it a country twist or Sam Smith adding it to his emotional package.
Her second album, "The Refinery" was released a year ago this month and will be the heart and soul of her set Saturday night.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
